With a resounding 5-0 win in game five, the Chicago Blackhawks took a game from the Vancouver Canucks in their building and got right back in goaltender Roberto Luongo‘s head. They’ve out-scored the Canucks 12-2 in the last two games, and 17-11 in the series (yet they still face elimination being down 3-2).
Maybe the Chicago fans and their taunts are getting to them? Much was made of Hollywood A-Lister Vince Vaughn taunting Roberto Luongo (see picture above, click for larger view), but apparently there are some meatball Hawks fans out there who are crossing the line of good taste and harassing the Canucks front office.
(Why am I not surprised?)
By Paul M. Banks
From the Canadian paper The Globe and Mail:
The Vancouver Canucks will request that their front-office staff be seated in a protected area of the United Center, should their NHL playoff series against the Chicago Blackhawks require a sixth game Sunday.
General manager Mike Gillis and assistant GM Laurence Gilman got into a verbal joust with Blackhawks fans seated in the upper reaches of the arena last Tuesday, during the late stages of Chicago’s 7-2 victory in Game 4 of their Western Conference quarter-final.
“We shouldn’t be sitting there to begin with,” Gillis said when asked about the incident. “You can only take so much abuse for so long, and I took it longer than I normally would.”
Gillis, Gilman and other staff members were only seated in that booth because three television outlets are covering the series, occupying the suites usually reserved for visiting team officials. Oddly, the NHL supervisor Rob Shick and the video goal judge were seated in the same suite, alongside Vancouver radio broadcasters and Canucks managers.
Game 6 is on Easter Sunday, so maybe the power of Jesus and the inspiration to act more Christian will compel the drunk meathead subset of Hawks fans to behave themselves?
WWJD@UC “What would Jesus do at the United Center?”
The Canucks brass is seeking refuge in the press box for game 6, and I applaud them on that move. The people there will insult you viciously behind your back, but not pick fights with you in front of your face. So good luck.
And like Jesus, the Hawks will see a resurrection this weekend. As we now have a series. Before Tuesday, they were left to die on the cross being down 3-0. Now it’s Luongo, and Canucks front office people that are being crucified.
Last night the Hawks bloodied the Canucks with an all-around game featuring many different contributors. Corey Crawford had a shutout on 36 saves. Marian Hossa had 3 points, Duncan Keith had 4. Patrick Sharp had 2 assists. All in all, it was a “good Friday” for Chicago. The final horn sounded close to midnight CT, so technically it was Friday.
Paul M. Banks is CEO of The Sports Bank.net , a Midwest webzine. He’s also a regular contributor to Chicago Now, Walter Football.com, Yardbarker, and Fox Sports
He does a regular guest spot each week for Chicagoland Sports Radio.com You can follow him on Twitter @thesportsbank and Facebook